


For Good

by sailorsav



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Dog Racing, M/M, Minor Pet Injury, Not Quite a Slow Burn But Close, Pining, Sled Dog AU, also musicals, gratuitous sitcom references, minor pet illness, musher!holster, veterinarian!ransom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-12 01:38:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19121977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorsav/pseuds/sailorsav
Summary: Adam Birkholtz has been racing teams of sled dogs most of his life. The sweet isolation of living in a tiny town of Northern Maine let him excel at that. There’s no one he’d rather be around than his dogs. Well, not until he meets the new vet in town and then he wants to be with his dogs and Dr. Oluransi.Long story short: A Holsom Sled Dog AU





	1. Glinda the Good Dog

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2019 OMGCP Reverse Bang!  
> The art here was created by: [jckzimmermanns](https://jckzimmermanns.tumblr.com/) on tumblr  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: minor pet illness

 Adam opened his eyes to whining only to be immediately licked in the face when he started to move. He placed a hand on top of mottled fur and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the other. He glanced over at the clock and was able to barely make out a blurry 4:30. He didn’t have to be up for another half hour but the small dog on his chest seemed to have other ideas.

“Morning, sweet girl,” he scooped her up in his arms and shifted to sit up. “What do you want this early? You usually like to sleep in.”

She whined again in his arms.

“You wanna go outside?” Adam baby-talked, scratching the top of her head.

She looked up towards his voice, her eyes cloudy, ears alert.

“Outside?”

She pulled away from him and started barking.

“Shhhhh. Shhh. Glinda, be quiet,” he stroked her back in an attempt to calm her down. “You’re going to wake the others.”

Glinda stopped barking but pulled herself to stand with her paws on his chest. Adam sighed before picking her back up and climbing out of bed. He had gotten used to getting dressed with one hand. It was easier than setting Glinda down and her wandering off where she could get into mischief. A few minutes later he was dressed enough for a quick trip outside.

The air was cold enough it took his breath away when he stepped off the final stair to set Glinda on the ground. It was still dark outside, but the days were always short that time of year. The pomeranian sniffed around but didn’t go far or do much of anything. It was less than a minute before she was whining to be picked up again.

“What’s going on with you, little one?”

Glinda was acting strange and it had Adam worried. If something went wrong with one of his dogs it was likely to affect the others. The vet that he would normally take her to retired that summer and left the practice to some city guy that Adam hadn’t met yet. He briefly considered taking her to someone else but it would almost double the drive, so the new guy it was.

He was able to drink half a cup of coffee before he started to hear the other dogs whine in their room. Adam set down his mug on the kitchen counter and headed down the hallway. He only made it halfway when the whining turned into barking.

“Ladies!” He shouted over the barking as stood in the doorway.

The room went quiet. All the dogs were standing at their kennel doors waiting to be let out.

Adam always started with Leslie. She was the leader for the rest of the pack. Her behavior would set the tone for the rest. Her kennel was covered with dark blue fabric to let as little light in as possible. He lifted the cover and unlatched the door to let her out.

Leslie stepped halfway through the doorway and stretched deeply before shaking the rest out. Her light gray fur floated in the air. The husky's tail started to wag slowly at first then more when she reached Adam. She leaned heavily against him and he was more than happy to reach down to give a solid pat to her side and scratch her head.

He moved away from Leslie to let the others out of their kennels. Rosa followed by Liz, then Roxie, Lucy and Ethel, Sophia, and finally Eponine. Once all eight were out of their kennels they swarmed around him vying for attention. Adam tried to give them equal pets while pushing through to let them in the run outside.

The door was only open a crack when Roxie shoved her way through, down the stairs and to the yard as fast as she could. Adam thought she liked to be first and center of attention. The rest of the pack followed the Samoyed into the snow that was just starting to collect on the ground.

He left the pack to their own devices and went back to finish his coffee and make an appointment to take Glinda to the vet. They had an opening in an hour. Not quite enough time to get all of his morning chores done but he didn’t want this to wait. Adam looked up from his phone when the girls started howling in the run.

Once everyone was back inside and fed he put them back in their kennels to keep them out of trouble while he went to town. It didn’t take eight dogs long to destroy a home. Adam learned that lesson after the first incident, so they were kenneled when he left.

He finished getting ready, running a hand through his hair and situating his glasses on the bridge of his nose, then packed Glinda in a small carrier. Adam set her on the floorboard of his truck. He took a minute to select a song from his phone before shifting gears driving off towards town to the _Wicked_ soundtrack. He liked to think that music by her namesake calmed her.

Adam didn’t live too far out of town but it was enough that he could avoid the busyness of Presque Isle. The drive wasn’t too long, he only made it halfway through the third song before he was pulling up in front of a small house that had been converted into an office.

Glinda didn’t seem to enjoy being in her carrier around other dogs so he put her in his coat instead. She whined quietly and tucked her head to his chest.

A tech checked them in and directed them to wait in the lobby. Adam zoned out to the reruns on the small TV in the corner and didn’t notice the doctor had come to collect them.

“Glinda Birkholtz?”

“It’s Guh-Linda” Adam replied looking away from the TV. He finally made eye contact with the doctor and immediately lost his train of thought. Distraction came in the form of a white lab coat, cheekbones to die for, and a face so warm and inviting that anyone would feel at ease.

The doctor chuckled, “Well of course. If you two could follow me, please.”

Once in the exam room, Adam pulled Glinda out of his coat and set her on the table. She shivered a little but he kept one hand on her to make sure she couldn’t fall.

“What seems to be bothering Glinda today?”

Adam quietly went through the list of things he noticed this morning but kept trailing off when he caught the doctor’s eyes, they were a deep shade of brown he could spend all day looking into. He noticed the veterinarian’s name, Dr. Oluransi, when his focus shifted to how broad his shoulders and chest were.

The exam turned from history to physical and Adam had to force himself to sit down and wait rather than micromanaging the vet’s interaction with her. Glinda would tolerate people but over time she had come to dislike interacting with new people just like her handler. The students in Adam’s training class always laughed at how similar their personalities were. Glinda seemed to calm under Dr. Oluransi’s touch. Seeing her look comfortable was enough to keep Adam seated and out of the way.

“So I take it you’re a fan of _Wicked_ ,” Dr. Oluransi continued the exam carefully.

Glinda let out a small sigh and tried to wiggle free from the veterinarian's hands. She succeeded briefly trying to walk to the edge of the table before she was scooted back towards the center.

“Yeah. I’ve seen it a few times and when I got Glinda the personality seemed to match so the name stuck. You?”

“I’ve only been able to see it once in Toronto when they were touring but it’s one of my favorites.”

“Same, bro. It gets me every time.”

“For real. Glinda and Elphaba should have just run off together. They could have been so much happier.”

“Ya know, people seem to overlook that. They did so much good for each other they didn’t need Fiero or the Wizard,” Adam agreed shifting in his seat. He kept meaning to watch how the doctor was handling Glinda but she seemed content and he’d rather just stare at the handsome man with incredible cheekbones. His thoughts briefly drifted to what it might be like to be wrapped in his arms. Even under a lab coat, Adam could tell this guy worked out.

Glinda made a small huffing sound that refocused Adam to what the veterinarian was doing. The man’s hands brushed down her back before coming up to scratch around her ears. After a moment he looked up at Adam and cleared his throat when made eye contact with Adam and glanced away quickly.

“So, I think she just has a minor infection. I’m going to prescribe an antibiotic and if she isn’t feeling better by the time you’re finished with it we can run some tests.” Dr. Oluransi kept petting Glinda while he spoke to Adam. “I don’t want to put her through any unnecessary testing if we can help it.”

Adam caught his eyes again and he was sure he looked like the world’s biggest dork for bringing Glinda in with something so minor the doctor didn’t even want to run any tests. “Yeah, thanks. I’m sure she appreciates that. I didn’t want the rest of the pack to get sick either so I figured coming here was our best bet. ”

“A whole pack? That’s a valid concern then. Don’t want to risk the health of all for one and all.”

Glinda let out a small bark, that made Dr. Oluransi jump. He had stopped petting her and she looked like she was making it known that she didn’t like that. She settled back down as the affection continued.

“It seems like she likes you,” Adam smiled softly. “She doesn’t usually warm up to others that quickly.” He stood and went over to the table holding out his hand for Glinda to smell him.

She licked at his hand briefly but didn’t move away from the doctor.

Dr. Oluransi chuckled, “Well, it looks that way.”

The room was quiet for a moment. Adam kept looking at the other man petting Glinda and cleared his throat when he realized he was staring. He should at least try to have a conversation with him even if the silence was comfortable. “So, uh, do you like any other musicals?”

“Yeah man, my fam had season tickets to a theatre in Toronto so we went a lot when I was younger. Not so much now that I’m older and moved away.”

“I feel that. Did you have a favorite?”

Talking with him was easy and comfortable just like the silence before was. Did they teach this is vet school? They must have. No way would he want to be standing here talking to Adam otherwise. He knew he was hard to deal with most of the time, but dealing with people was just so much work. And most of the time the people weren’t worth the work. This felt different though. Simple somehow, like they had known each other for more than a twenty-minute appointment.

They managed to talk for another thirty minutes or so when the tech from the desk earlier knocked on the door. “Doctor, your next appointment is here.”

He looked down at his watch, “Time flies, huh. Let me get that prescription for you and Stacy can fill it for you.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Adam scooped Glinda up and put her back in his coat with only minor complaint. He reached out his hand, “Thanks for seeing her on such short notice Dr. Oluransi, I really appreciate it.”

“Please, call me Justin.”

They shook hands, both smiling a little wider than normal. Adam hesitated to let go and he thought for a moment that Justin did, too. “Well then thanks, Justin.”

They were ushered out of the room and to the counter out front. The tech left them briefly to get Glinda’s medicine.

Just before Justin disappeared down the hallway with the next patient, he leaned back into the waiting area, “You have a great rest of your day, Mr. Birkholtz.”

“Oh, shit. It’s Adam. Thanks, you too.” He felt his face get warm and the smirk on Justin’s face only seemed to make it worse.

“Adam,” he repeated, his smirk softened.

It looked like he was lingering but Adam wasn’t really sure and before he had the chance to say anything else the tech was back and giving him instructions on how to give the medicine to Glinda. By the time he looked back towards the hall, Justin was gone and Adam let his shoulders fall.

 

🐕

 

When Adam and Glinda got home he set her on the top stair up to his bed so she knew where she was. She climbed up and padded up to the pillows before laying down. After he knew she was comfortable he headed down the hall to the girls’ room.

 By the time he opened the door nearly all of them were standing in their kennels waiting to be let out. He went around the room.

Leslie came out of her kennel and sat down in front of the open door. Rosa followed suit laying next to hers.

Roxie ran out of her kennel and around the room before stopping in front of Adam expecting attention. She received a brief pat on the top of her head before he opened the next kennel.

Liz rushed out and sat a little too close to Adam, her front paws on his feet looking up expectantly. He reached down to scratch behind a tuft of fur behind her ear.

He leaned forward with a gentle, “Back.”

She stood, backing off his feet to sit with the rest of the girls.

Lucy and Ethel circled around Adam’s legs after coming out of their shared kennel. They laid down in front of the pack, Lucy propping her head up on Ethel’s back.

Sophia wobbled out of her kennel heavy with sleep. Her tail wagged lazily as she leaned heavily against Adam. He didn’t have to lean down near as far to reach her. She only let him scritch the top of her head for a moment before turning her face from him so he would scratch her haunches instead. She joined the rest of the pack on the floor and heaved out a sigh.

Eponine was still asleep on her back even after he opened the door. Snoring of course. Adam had to climb onto his hands and knees to reach her. “Eponine,” He stroked her gently. She opened her eyes and blinked slowly at him. The realization that it was time to get up seemed to sink in and she flipped herself over in an instant. Before he had a chance to react Adam was barreled over with a face full of kisses.

He didn’t have a chance to get up before the rest of the pack had joined in and he was smothered in fur. Adam thought if this was going to be his end then there was no better way to go than in a pile of dogs showing they love you.

The rest of the day went on as normal. Adam worked with each of them in training tricks. The tricks often built into more complicated commands they needed to know for their races or for work around the house and barn. He liked to rotate through the team when teaching classes for beginners; that way none of the girls fell behind the others in the standard of their training.

He let them run wild in their run for an hour while he got ready for a training class that would happen later. Adam was able to watch them from a window in the barn to make sure they didn’t get into trouble. The pack was ready to go inside just as Adam finished setting up.

It was Liz’s turn to help in class and the rest of the pack was kenneled again for their afternoon naps. Adam thought she did well for being on her own. She usually liked to be around at least one of the others. He made sure to give her extra treats when class was over.

The team went for a run in the evening to keep up with their conditioning. Adam was steadily increasing the miles they ran to get them ready for the last race of the season. Everyone was exhausted by the end.

Their day ended in a cuddle puddle in the living room before bed. Adam watched a few episodes of _The Good Place_ to catch up with the latest season and fell asleep on the couch. When he woke up all of the girls were in their kennels and Glinda was on his lap. He carried her to bed and closed the gates. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow to do it all over again and spend all the time he could with his girls.


	2. You Wanna Go For --

Five days a week Adam taught puppy training classes out of his kennel. He boarded dogs too, for people in town when he and the pack weren’t away for a race. The small town mentality meant that clients usually asked him to go for drinks after. Occasionally, he appreciated the offer but usually, he was just annoyed. They never seemed to realize how exhausting it could be to teach as though they never got tired from being around people. All he wanted to do after a class was go lay in a pile of pups and watch sitcoms. 

This class was no different. Most of the handlers seemed to want to hang out rather than work with their dogs or listen to Adam. He found it incredibly frustrating and rude. He tried to duck away before they made it over to him but it didn’t work.

“Hey man, we never see you around town, did you want to grab a beer with the rest of us?” he asked reaching up to put an arm around Adam’s shoulders. 

“No thanks, I’ve had my social interaction for the week. Don’t want to eat into next week’s allotment.” 

“Jeez dude, we were just trying to be nice. You don’t have to be an ass about it,” another man chimed in. 

“I’m just really tired. My pack has a race coming up so we’ve been training and I really just want to go to sleep.” 

“Fine, whatever. See you next class.” 

They didn’t seem thrilled with how he answered them but they were leaving him alone and that’s all Adam could ask for. Maybe if they had listened to his instructions a little better he wouldn’t have felt as drained and would have considered going, but that wasn’t how things went. All he wanted now was to be in the center of a cuddle puddle of his girls and take a nap. 

He finally got to go inside and sat on his couch with a bottle of beer to scroll through Netflix. Sophia laid at his feet, she didn't seem comfortable on the couch, like she was too big and might fall off. Eponine was just as big but acted like a lap dog. To anyone else, the couch looked impossibly full, but that didn't stop Roxie from climbing up and claiming a place on top of Eponine. Adam held Glinda in his arms. He had just finished giving her the last dose of antibiotics that she'd been prescribed and she seemed to be back to her usual self. 

He finally settled on an episode of  _ 30 Rock _ and relaxed into the couch. There was no problem in his life that his dogs couldn't cure. Adam had already seen the show but musical episodes had a special place in his heart. He let his mind wander a bit, scratching the top of Eponine's head. 

He thought about their upcoming race at the end of the season and how to improve their training regimen. But every time a new song came on he focused in on the unfairly attractive veterinarian, Justin, and their shared love of musicals. Talking to him didn't feel like it did with most people. He didn’t feel drained afterward like he usually did after dealing with people.

Leslie padded into the living room and sat in front of the TV looking directly at Adam. She huffed and stared. 

“Can I help you?” 

She slid down to the ground and let out a groan keeping her eyes on him the whole time.

“Yes?” 

Leslie didn’t move. 

“Hmmm. You wanna go for a run?” Adam had the first half of the word out before every dog in the room was standing in front of or on top of him. He pushed Eponine’s large paw off his leg. He chuckled. “Okay girls, let’s get ready.”

 

🐕

 

It took some time getting all eight dogs in harnesses and prepped for a pull. Each one wore their harness and protective booties and then they were tethered to their partner. After all the pairs were hooked up they were connected to a long line that reached back to the cart that Adam would stand on. Glinda came too, bundled up in a sweater and booties of her own before being tucked into Adam’s coat. 

Normally the pack would pull a basket sled for races and in the winter but there wasn’t any snow on the ground, so their summer cart would have to make do. It was the same size as the winter sled but Adam had painted it an obnoxious shade of green and christened it Lil’ Sebastian with the name on the side and all. 

Adam set Leslie and Rosa up at the front of the group to lead the charge. Leslie would listen to instructions but if Adam misjudged something he trusted her to keep the pack safe while Rosa was a good second in command. 

Roxie and Liz were linked together in the swing position to help make sure the rest of the team followed the leaders. Back when they were pups Roxie tried to make herself known as the leader but the rest of the pack would only follow Leslie so second row seemed to be the best choice for her. 

Lucy and Ethel were a bonded pair of huskies. Sisters from the same litter and could never stand to be separated even at night. Adam had tried to give them separate kennels next to each other but they would howl all night long, or until he put them together. They were in the team position to help maintain the speed but didn’t do a whole lot of the other work. 

In the back pulling the weight of the cart and all 6’4” of Adam were the Wheels, Sophia and Eponine. They were the biggest of the pack but still on the small side for their respective breeds; Sophia a Newfoundland, and Eponine a Bernese Mountain Dog.

Once everyone was hooked up in their places Adam stepped onto the cart. Once he had a solid hold on to the handlebar he took a deep breath and gave the command, “Let’s Go!” 

Leslie started them out at a brisk pace, not full on running but a solid trot for the whole team. She sped them up and slowed them down according to all of Adam’s shouted commands from the back of the cart. 

Presque Isle was only a fifteen-minute drive from his home on most days. The pack could run it in forty. Which wasn’t faster than just driving there, but with 8 dogs, it was pretty impressive. The team only needed to stop once when Adam thought a wheel was coming loose on the back of the cart. 

On the run Adam let his mind wander. Well, he tried anyway. Every time his thoughts started to drift he ended up thinking about Dr. Oluransi, no, Justin. At first, it was his eyes and how warm he felt looking into them. Then it was his hands and how strong they seemed. Adam tried to focus on the task at hand since he couldn’t seem to keep Justin off his mind. 

He was lucky that Leslie was such a good leader for the rest of the pack. She kept the pack on course as if she knew where they were going the whole time. She was strong and independent and Adam was happy to have her by his side. 

They finally pulled into town and Adam had more or less gotten control of his thoughts. He didn’t really have anything he needed to get but he also didn’t want to waste a trip into town. 

The pack was steered towards a parking lot to sit and rest for a minute. 

Sophia immediately flopped to the ground and Eponine didn't put up a fight when she was pulled down to join in. 

Leslie sat in the front alert and watching Adam waiting for her next task. 

Adam pulled out a stack of buckets and filled them from a jug of water he kept on the cart just in case. He stood back and smiled at his team. His girls were always there for him and he tried to make sure he had their back as well. 

Once the girls were situated he went inside the shop for a moment. He barely had his coffee in hand before he saw a group of people around his pups. Adam was on the defensive in a heartbeat and hurried out the door and making use of his large frame to intimidate the people. 

He cleared his throat behind one of them, “Can I help you?”

“Oh no, it’s fine I just wanted to pet your dogs. I had some treats to give them.”

“They’re working right now so they can’t actually have treats at the moment.”

The person’s face fell, “Oh. My bad.” 

They moved to put the treats in their pocket. Adam stumbled over his words after realizing he hurt their feelings and offered to give them the treats later when they were home. 

 

🐕

 

Adam and the team started the run back home. They passed the vet clinic and Adam had a brilliant thought to maybe pop in and say hello to the cute doctor. He also needed to set up check-ups for the rest of the pack since they had a race coming up. 

It was as if Leslie could read his mind because she had already slowed the team down and was starting to turn them back. 

A few minutes later they were sitting in front of the clinic and Adam was walking up to the building. A bell rang when he pulled the door open. The tech from before was sitting at the desk, she looked up and smiled at him.

“What can I help you with today, Mr. Birkholtz?”

“I uh, just need to set up some check-ups for my team. We have a race coming up soon.”

“Perfect, I can get that set up for you. How many dogs would the doctor be seeing? And would you like to bring them in or would you prefer a house call?”

“There’s 8 dogs, so a house call would probably be best”

“Got it! We’ve got a spot open at 2 pm next Tuesday. How does that sound?”

“That’ll work. Thank you.”

A dog started yelping from down the hallway and both Adam and the tech turned as the sound grew louder. 

A voice called out, “Hey Stacy, can I get another set of hands in here?” 

Adam recognized the voice as Justin’s and felt his face flush slightly.

Stacy got up from behind her desk and started to go down the hall. “We’ll get you squared away Mr. Birkholtz, don’t worry.” She flashed him a smile before disappearing into one of the exam rooms. 

Adam lingered for a moment hoping to maybe see Justin come out of the room. It didn’t take long for him to realize he no longer had a reason to be there unless he wanted to start another conversation with the vet. That would be awkward and he didn’t think he would handle it smoothly. 

He rejoined the team outside, all of them standing back up when he approached. Happy tails wagged when he went down the line to pet each of them before getting back to the last half of their run. 

Adam stepped back onto the cart and shouted the team back to attention and got them started at an easy jog. 

It wasn’t long before Leslie picked up the pace. She knew what the end goal was at this point - it was time to get everyone home. 

In the second row, Roxie started to howl. A short one at first, then longer. Soon enough the whole pack joined in.

Steering the team from behind Adam let out a laugh. Today had been a good day overall, he felt accomplished and it sounded like the team was having a good day too. Tucked deep into his coat Glinda joined in the team howl and he laughed even harder. 


	3. The House Call

Adam had spent the last hour and a half trying to tidy up his house as best he could. He knew Justin was going to be coming into his home and he really didn’t want to give a bad impression. It wasn’t like he was a college student living in a messy dorm anymore. 

The house was clean with about ten minutes to spare, or at least as clean as you can make a house with nine dogs living there. Each of the dogs was in their kennels resting so they wouldn’t overwhelm the vet when he came inside. A lot of dogs, especially large dogs, all at once could be overwhelming. 

Glinda was curled up onto the couch when Adam came over to sit down. Her head perked up at the shift in the cushions. She padded over to the depression and climbed into the lap in front of her. 

Adam flipped through his list on Netflix before settling on re-watching Parks and Rec. He skipped right to the second season because that’s when the show really started to get good. The comfort and familiarity of watching one of his favorite shows filled him with warmth. He zoned out staring at the TV, getting lost in the show in front of him. Adam’s hands ran through Glinda’s speckled fur, pausing on occasion to give more attention behind her ears or on top of her head. 

A knock at the door jostled Adam from the zombie-like state he had found himself in. Pausing the show, he scooped Glinda into his arms and carried her over to the door. He took in a deep, centering breath before peeking through the curtains on the front door to see Justin on the other side. When they made eye contact, Justin’s face broke into a blinding smile and Adam found himself smiling as well as he opened the door. 

“It’s good to see you, Adam,” Justin said walking through the open door. 

“It’s good to see you, too,” Adam responded. Glinda wiggled furiously in his arms and before he could adjust her, Justin had reached out to take her. 

Once in the other man’s arms, Glinda licked up towards his face and beat her tail happily against his chest. She finally settled down after he started petting her. 

“I see where your allegiances lie, Glinda,” Adam mock scowled at the pair across from him. 

Glinda turned her head in the direction of Adam’s voice and let out a small bark. 

Justin laughed deep and loud. At that moment Adam knew he would do anything to hear that again. He was so gone on this man that he knew nearly nothing about and he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Adam shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “Do you want to meet the rest of the girls?” 

“I’d love to.”

Justin followed Adam down the hallway lined with pictures of various dogs at all ages; some of them in harnesses hooked up to sleds, some on their own doing a variety of things that dogs just do. Adam paused before opening the door with a sign that read “THERE’S A LOT OF DOGS IN HERE” and he heard the man behind him stifle a chuckle. He grinned looking back as he pushed the door open. “What? It’s true.” 

Justin didn’t try to hide his laugh this time, “I’m sure it is.” 

They walked in and Adam turned to see the expression on Justin’s face. His jaw was slack, eyes wide with surprise. Adam made sure his girls were well taken care of, so he made sure they had the nicest room in the house. 

The dogs were ready and alert now that the men had entered the room. Justin’s eyes scanned across the room taking in all of the small details that Adam had thought to include for his pack. Baskets for their toys sat on top of each of the kennels as did their food bowls. The grooming table in the corner had a set of stairs so lifting the dogs wasn’t necessary. The far wall had large containers of food along the floor and medals and trophies on shelves along the top. 

“You really weren’t kidding about having a whole pack, dude. Who should we start with?” Justin asked after he was able to focus on the task at hand. 

“Leslie for sure.” Adam was already lifting the cover on her kennel and unlatching the door. Leslie stood at the doorway for a moment before coming out to sniff the newcomer. Justin reached down and scratched on the top of her head and she leaned into the affection. 

After a few minutes, Adam directed her to the grooming table and she climbed up with no complaint. Justin set to work checking the condition of the pads on her paws, her teeth, temperature, ears, and all the normal things that went with an annual check-up.

“Do you have them on a heartworm preventative?”

“Of course. They take that and one to prevent fleas and ticks since we spend so much time outside. 

“Cool,” Justin replied, leaning down to put a stethoscope to Leslie’s chest. He listened briefly then moved it to another stop to listen again, brow furrowed in concentration. “She’s all set and in great shape.” 

Adam signaled Leslie to return to her kennel and she followed his direction. He gave her a small treat when she laid down on the cushion inside and closed the door. Once the cover was down he moved onto the next kennel. 

Rosa behaved just as well as Leslie did, which was to be expected. Roxie jumped all over Justin and Adam had to give her commands three times before she actually listened. Liz licked Justin’s face once she got on top of the grooming table for her check-up. Lucy and Ethel both whined and cried in the kennel while their other half was being examined.  

“A bonded pair?”

“Yeah, they’ve never spent any time apart so when they need to be separated even for a second it’s howls and whines until they’re together again.”

“I get that.”

Sophia balked at getting up on the table until she was lured up with a piece of fish. “She’s always afraid she won’t fit,” Adam explained. “She won’t even get on the couch.”

“Oh poor baby,” Justin held her head in his hands not seeming to care that long strands of drool were running down his forearms. Adam thought he was going to melt right there. 

The check-up continued and they made easy small talk. Justin asked about all the pictures of dogs on the wall in the hallway, so Adam told him stories about growing up racing sled dogs and that those pups were teams that he and his family had over his life. 

“So I’m guessing that’s what all the trophies are for?”

“Yeah,” Adam rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “I figured in here was better than in the attic.”

“They’re well deserved and I think you put them in a killer spot.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, feeling his face warm to a blush.

Justin shared his own stories about growing up in the suburbs of Toronto and having a full house of family all the time as he worked. Adam related to having a full house and they shared back and forth the wild things they each got into when they were younger.

Adam especially loved the story where Justin climbed a massive tree when he was seven-years-old to save a kitten only to get stuck himself. He waited for two hours for the fire department to get him down. That was how he got his first pet.

Justin laughed at the one where Adam littlest sister didn’t have anyone to help her practice for her dance class so he learned the moves to help her practice. He even went to class a few times which his mother found endlessly endearing and has pictures of him towering over the rest of the class. Daisy even convinced him to do the recital with her so she wouldn’t be alone. 

It was comfortable between the two of them. By the time all the dogs had finished their check-ups and Justin’s travel bag had been packed away, they meandered down the hallway. Adam pointed out photos of his favorite dogs over the years. The thing was that all of them were his favorite so they stayed in the hall and talked about each of them. He thought for a moment he caught a glimpse of Justin looking fond out of the corner of his eye. 

When they finally made it out of the hallway and to the front door, Adam still really didn’t want Justin to leave. He’d never really felt like that with anyone before. He usually wants them to leave as soon as possible because being social is so draining. 

Justin’s hand lingered on the handle of the door and they fell silent for a moment. “So what is that?” He pointed up at the TV.

Adam turned to see what he had on before. “Only one of the best sitcoms in all of television, bro.” 

Justin shrugged.

“Parks and Rec?”

“I’ve heard of it but I’ve never seen it.”

“Shit dude you have to! It’s incredible. I’ve seen it all at least five times.”

“Cool, I’ll check it out.”

They fell back into a comfortable quiet until Justin finally opened the door and stepped outside. 

“So uh, you can stop by the clinic any time to pay. It’d be great to see you again. Not that I hope one of your dogs gets sick again but like, you’re a cool guy and I haven’t really met many cool people since I moved here. ...You know what? I’m gonna go before I make more of a fool out of myself.” 

Adam laughed and rubbed at the back of his head. “It’s all good bro. I get it. I don’t really have any friends here either.”

It wasn’t until Justin had driven away that Adam realized that maybe he was  _ lingering _ . He brushed that thought away quickly. As if a guy like that would like him like that. It kept coming back though, the thought that maybe -- just maybe -- he could have a little hope. 


	4. Dudes Being Bros

Life went on for Adam in the weeks leading up to the last race of the season. The pack’s runs kept getting longer to build up their endurance. This last race was one of their longer ones, almost one hundred and fifty miles. He knew they could do it but Adam wanted to make sure that they all finished healthy. 

His trips into town become fewer and farther between and one afternoon while picking up groceries for the next week he ran into Justin, literally, turning a corner.

“Shit dude I’m sorry!” Adam blurted when he realized he’d made a complete fool of himself and probably injured the only person he’d actually enjoyed talking to in over a year. 

“It’s all good man.” Justin adjusted the basket in his arm and propped a foot up onto Adam’s cart. “It’s been a minute.”

“Yeah. The pack has our last race in a couple weeks so I’m trying to make sure everyone is ready.”

“With you at the helm, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Adam looked down at the floor feeling heat rush to his face. “Thanks,” he managed to mumble out.

“So I’ve been trying to watch that show you had on at your place and I don’t get how you loved it so much.”

“Parks and Rec?”

“Yeah, bro. It’s really just not clicking with me.”

“Well, the first season isn’t great. I usually skip that one whenever I rewatch.”

“Huh. I thought I should watch start to finish.”

“Nah bro, you miss nothing by skipping the first season.” 

They fell back to quiet, well as quiet as a grocery store goes, neither of them made any effort to leave the other. 

Adam cleared his throat, “Would you uh, like to come by and watch it? I’ve been meaning to pick that one up again.” He felt his face turn warm again and blurted out, ”As bros of course.” Adam couldn’t tell what was going on with Justin’s face because he hadn’t been able to make eye contact for nearly a minute. 

“Yeah man, that sounds great. When works for you?” 

“Oh um. How about tomorrow? Around 6?” The weight in his chest was gone and he was able to look up at Justin to see him smiling from ear to ear. 

“Works for me. I’ll bring beer.”

“Sweet.” 

Justin slapped a hand on Adam’s shoulder with a grin, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

“Yeah, see ya.” 

 

🐕

 

He’d been here before. Adam doesn’t know why he was in such a cleaning frenzy when Justin has been here before and knows he has nine dogs. No house with nine dogs looks perfect. He should just sit down and relax. No reason to get himself worked up. 

There was a knock at the door. He was up and at the door before he had a chance to let his nerves get to him. 

Justin held up a six-pack, “Ready to get your binge-watching on?”

“Hell yeah,” Adam laughed. 

“Anywhere I should set this?” He gestured down at the beer. 

“Mi casa es su casa,” Adam stumbled out in a stilted Buffalo accent. 

“Bro, that was terrible.”

“Hey! I only took one year.”

“Clearly,” Justin teased. 

Adam saw in his eyes that there wasn’t anything mean behind the words. He offered up the couch to sit down, only there were no open spots on the couch.

“I have pizza in the kitchen if you want me to bring you some.”

“Dude that sounds great.”

“Sweet. You can say hey to the girls and I’ll be right back.”

When Adam returned to the living room he found Justin sitting on the floor cooing at Eponine up on the couch. 

“You know we can move them, right?”

“That’s a crime but whatever. I’m comfortable here on the floor.”

Adam barked out a laugh as he sat on the ground too, “At least grab some pillows.” 

He pulled two out from behind Roxie who was laying atop Eponine with Rosa curled up at her feet. After tossing one down to Justin he climbed down to the floor. They sat a few feet apart, they hadn’t hung out with each other before and Adam didn’t know what kind of boundaries Justin had. 

“Which episode are you on, bro?”

“You said the first season wasn’t any good”

“Yeah it’s not great but if you were already watching it we might as well.”

“Fair. Hang on let me check. I was about to start episode uh -- 5? Yeah,  _ The Banquet.” _

“Cool cool cool”

They watched eighteen episodes pausing only for food and bathroom breaks. It was some time during the fourteenth consecutive episode when Adam realized that Justin was sitting way closer than they started. _ Was that on purpose? Did I do that or did he? What do I do now?  _ It didn’t really matter who initiated the closeness, what did though was that Justin hadn’t moved away from Adam to keep the space. 

Adam managed to maintain his cool through a few more episodes but wasn’t paying attention to the show anymore, only how close Justin was to him and what could happen if he closed what little distance was still between them. He couldn’t do that. They were friends. New friends at that, and he didn’t want to totally screw up what could be a great relationship. He was standing before he realized his heart was racing. Justin was looking up at him with his brow furrowed. 

“You okay bro?”

“Yeah yeah yeah, all good. I’m just uh gonna go check on the dogs I’m boarding. I’ll be right back.”

“You want me to come with? I do know my way around a kennel.” He had paused the TV. 

“Uh… noooooo. It’s cool you stay here and keep watching. I’ve seen this one already.” 

Adam had backed his way towards the door and was outside before Justin had a chance to respond. The cold night air hit him in the face and made him forget briefly what he was doing outside. 

The walk to the building he housed the kennels in was quick. Once he was inside muscle memory took over and he went from kennel to kennel refreshing water and giving affection. He didn’t want these pups to not feel unloved just because they weren’t his. Adam let his thoughts wander while he worked and used the dogs as a sounding board to work out what was going on in his mind. 

“Tallulah, you get it right? Everything about him is straight up too good for me. Also, he’s gorgeous and I’m well, not that.” 

Tallulah whined and licked at his face.

“Well thank you. It means a lot that you think I’m pretty, sweet girl. But he’s also incredibly smart. HE’S GOT HIS DOCTOR’S IN VETERINARY SCIENCE, TALLULAH, HE’S AN ACTUAL DOCTOR.” 

He kept talking moving from one dog to the next. George got to hear all about how good he was with the pack, while Kirby got to hear daydreams about a way distant future where things turned out for the best. Nola heard his fears and all the things that could go wrong if he shared his feelings and Justin didn’t feel the same way. POTUS and Thor got to hear Adam hype himself up then talk himself down. 

After he had calmed himself down enough to go back inside, Adam had a plan. He would continue to get to know Justin as friends and if the feelings were still there after a month he’d tell him how he felt. It seemed like a good plan all he had to do was follow through. 

When he got back inside no dogs greeted him at the door. There were always at least two of them waiting for him to come back whenever he left no matter how brief. The TV was still paused in the same spot and Justin and the pups were nowhere to be found. Then there was a laugh. It was unmistakable for Justin’s and it seemed to be coming from the girl’s room. He wasn’t sure what he was going to be walking in on.

Justin was laying on the ground next to Eponine. Sophia was on his other side on her back. Roxie was on top of him Lucy and Ethel were at his head. Rosa, Leslie, and Liz were at his feet tugging at a toy. Justin didn’t seem to notice that Adam had entered the room, he was laughing and trying to take a selfie with his phone. 

“Seems like you’re having a good time” Adam laughed.

Justin dropped his phone on his face which made both of them laugh even more. “You know it, dude. You should get down here too. This is the greatest thing that has happened in my life.”

“We do this all the time.” 

He climbed down to lay on the ground and got close enough for them to be in a selfie together with most of the dogs around them.  _ There’s no way I’m going to be able to follow through. _

They laid on the floor with the girls for at least an hour talking about anything and everything until Sophia got up and went to her kennel. The rest of the pack followed soon behind like they agreed that it was time to go to bed. 

“Is it really that late?” Adam asked.

“Yeah man, it’s like 1 am.”

“We should probably pick this up again another day.”

“I’m free tomorrow night? Actually, I guess it’d be tonight. If you’re down that is.”

“Hell yeah, I’m down.”

 

🐕

 

Over the following two weeks, Adam and Justin hung out nearly every day. They usually ended up watching TV with the girls but Justin had started joining them on evening runs and helping out in the kennels. 

When it was time to pack up for the team to leave for the race, Justin had become a bit of a staple around the house. The girls were excited to see him as always but it wasn’t the same excitement they had when meeting someone new. They were all comfortable and familiar. Justin gave each of the girls kisses as they were loaded into their travels crates then into a cargo van and Adam was a little jealous he didn’t get one at the end. 

“We’ll be back in a week. Don’t worry man. You can always track us on the website. We’ll be fine.”

“I know. You do this all the time. I think it might be more of an ‘I’m going to miss you guys’ than an ‘I’m worried for your safety.’ if that makes any sense.”

“It does. But it’s only a week. You know I’ll miss you too, man. Also, let’s be real, you’ll really be missing the girls.”

“You are not wrong there.”

“Hey, we can always finish season seven when we get back.”

“Sounds like a plan bro. See you soon.” Justin punched Adam’s shoulder lightly. 


	5. Race Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Minor injury to a pet

The two-day drive up to the race location in Freemont, Quebec passed without much incident. Customs was minorly confused why Adam had so many dogs but all of his paperwork was in order so they didn't seem to care. When they finally arrived they had stopped fifteen times and each stop took at least an hour. Road trips are not as glamorous as anyone thinks but he wasn’t about to load any of his girls in the cargo hold of a plane, and it took a while to walk nine dogs.

After Adam had gotten them checked in for the race, he moved the van and started the long process of getting all his things and the dogs’ things into the motel room, then one dog at a time moved them and their crate to the room. When everyone had settled and acclimated to the new place he opened the kennel doors and was immediately swarmed and brought down by the girls.

He ate a pizza he had delivered to the motel. Every bite was watched and ready to be devoured if he dropped anything, even a crumb. They had already been fed and watered but what Adam had was better than what the pack had so they watched just in case.

When he was done with all the final walks before bed, which took even longer than usual with all the other race dogs and the girls’ need to meet each of them, he settled into bed and put on a show to try and fall asleep. And as the show played, his mind drifted to memories of the past few weeks. He missed Justin. They had gotten really close really quickly like they were always meant to find each other. Adam drifted off to sleep, his best friend on his mind and dreamed of having more.

 

🐕

 

A pistol filled with blanks was fired into the air to start the race. Adam yelled commands at the pack and they responded in kind. The fresh snowfall from the night before made it hard for the team to move quickly. They still managed to stay with a pack of five teams that had broken away from the rest. It didn’t take long for the girls to settle into a rhythm and pace. Adam had studied the route and knew it by heart.

They ran for three hours before Leslie slowed the team down for a break. Adam unloaded bowls and food off the sled. Each of the girls was unclipped from their tether so they could wander a little, though most of them never did. Roxie went the furthest but even she stayed within Adam’s eyesight, which wasn’t great since it had started snowing again and she blended, so all he could really make out was her smile a few yards out.

Glinda barked up at Adam from her place in his coat. He set her on the ground and chuckled lightly at how she tried to walk with her booties on. She was a bit more susceptible to the cold than the rest of the pack since because of her size and that she wasn’t running with the rest so she had on a sweater too. She barked again after a few minutes to be picked back up and she was tucked back into his coat.

All the girls wandered back to their spot in the lineup after ten minutes so Adam hooked everyone back up and got the team running again. The pattern continued with the time varying  between breaks. The race would last three days with the winner probably crossing the finish line around noon on the third day.

They made it to the checkpoint at nightfall. He and the girls were given a small room in an old barn that had been modified to be lodging for all the sled teams. All that mattered to Adam was that it was heated and they provided food.

The pack was exhausted. Most of them only ate a little before curling up and going to sleep. Races were the only times they all slept in a big pile. Eponine and Sophia were usually on the outer edges and Roxie, of course, placed herself directly in the center. He wasn’t sure how Lucy and Ethel were comfortable in the weird intertwined position they slept in but they looked peaceful so he let them be. Liz had her head propped up on Rosa’s back and Leslie had curled herself into Eponine’s side. It honestly looked more comfortable that the cot that awaited Adam and Glinda. He wasn’t even sure if he could fit on it.

Exhaustion won out and he fell asleep with his legs hanging off the end of the cot, Glinda on his chest. He loved racing but at the same time, he couldn’t wait for the season to be over again.

His phone woke him in the wee hours of the morning to get the pack up, fed, watered, and re-harnessed before dawn. He wanted to be one of the first to leave the checkpoint that morning.

Adam saw event volunteers milling about the barn when he got the team hooked to their sled but no other competitors. They told him that two other teams had already left that morning but a handful didn’t even make the check-in yet. He hoped that it wasn’t a major issue for any of those teams. He knew how hard it could be to sleep outside in that weather. He wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Fresh snow on the ground again meant the girls kept a similar pace to the previous day, stopping every few hours to rest and eat. The routine of it all felt comfortable to Adam. It helped him clear his thoughts. Everything was going well until suddenly it wasn’t.

Ethel was barking loudly, which made the other dogs bark and Leslie to slow the team to a stop. Something was wrong. Adam didn’t know what it was yet so he took a breath before he hopped off the sled to figure out what was going on.

Lucy whined and was licking at Ethel’s face. Ethel had her bootied paw raised just above the snow. She kept trying to put it down slowly but every time it made contact she raised it back up twice as fast.

Adam stomped his boots into the snow to carve out a place for himself to sit down and check her out. She wasn’t bleeding, that was good. There wasn’t anything stuck in or through the bootie, that was good too. He went through his mental checklist of all the things to look for and he determined it was probably a sprain.

He unhooked her from the rest of the team and carried her back to the sled. He dug through his supplies once he had her set down and comfortable. She whined quietly. Adam could hear Lucy whining back at them from her spot still hooked to the tether. With the bootie off he left her briefly to find the first aid kit he had stashed in their gear then wrapped her paw snug. He put a bootie back over the wrap to keep it dry and warm.

Ethel continued to whine from the pain and Lucy barked back. Adam took Glinda out of his coat and set her with Ethel to give her some kind of companionship. They had to press on if they were going to make it to the check-in and it was starting to get dark. Even being just one dog down slowed the pace of the team significantly; Ethel’s added weight to the sled didn’t help much either.

They pressed on for another four hours before Adam decided to call it quits for the night. It was well past sundown and everything around them was dark. He had on enough layers to be fine in the bitter cold but the girls had been running all day and were bound to be freezing once they had been stopped for a while. Their jackets were somewhere in the gear loaded on the sled. Each of the girls was strapped into their jacket to protect them from the harsh winds and given a new pair of booties to keep their feet dry and warm.

After he was sure the pack was going to be warm, Adam gathered them up behind the sled to keep them out of the wind as much as possible. It wasn't his ideal version of a cuddle puddle with his girls but at least he knew they were all together and were mostly safe.

Lucy and Ethel's whines had stopped now that they were back together. Everyone being huddled together helped them share the warmth but even knowing they weren't going to freeze in the night didn’t help Adam rest. His dreams were more nightmare than anything.

Adam’s watch told him that they had managed to sleep for four hours. The sun hadn’t even started peeking over the horizon. He moved slowly, joints stiff from the cold. Glinda objected to the movement with a small bark. As he stood and stretched to warm himself back up the rest of the girls started moving around too. It wasn’t long before he was taking off their jackets and hooking them back in their place on the tether.

He yelled for the pack to run fast and hard. He wanted to make up the lost time from the day prior but even more so he wanted to get to the finish line and get Ethel checked out. Leslie kept the team going and steered them well. Their breaks were more infrequent but none of the girls seemed to mind. It was as if they wanted to be finished with the race, too.

They did stop briefly at the checkpoint to see if any teams had left yet for the final leg. It wasn’t even midnight yet but three teams had already left, trying to get to the finish line before even the anticipated time. Adam didn’t even wait to fill in the sign in sheet, just hopped back onto the sled and kept the team going.

The team paused for food and a break around dawn. Lucy got to sit with Ethel until she was put back in the lineup. Ethel howled from her place on the sled in protest. Glinda rode the rest of the race in the basket of the sled with Ethel and both of them were wrapped in a blanket to keep them warm.

The sun was high in the sky creating a near blinding glare off the snow when the small village where they had started the race appeared on the horizon. Adam’s directions grew louder and he could hear his girls dig deep and run harder than he’d ever seen to get them over that finish line.

Main Street had been turned into the final stretch. People lined both sides of the street waiting for more teams to arrive. It was a crowd but not as full as it would have been had they crossed first. When the team had slowed down enough to stop, a race volunteer was there to give them their time and told Adam they finished in fourth place. Just an hour shy of third. Normally that would have bothered him but he just asked for the vet on call to get Ethel checked out.

After a short consultation with the veterinarian present, he decided that she was in good enough shape to wait until they got home and Justin could take a look at her. Even though he wished the circumstances were better the thought of seeing Justin soon filled his stomach with butterflies.

Before they could make the drive home he had three things he needed to do first: feed himself and the girls again, shower, and sleep. The drive would be there after a nap and he and the pack deserved to rest. Lucy and Ethel opted for their crate instead of trying to cram onto the full-size bed with Adam and the rest of them. They slept for ten hours and when Adam woke up none of them had moved an inch.

 

🐕

 

The drive home was much faster than the drive to the race. Adam only stopped for a handful of breaks opting to press on in the hopes of getting home sooner. All he wanted was to go home, take Ethel to get checked out, and sleep for three days.

When he turned up into his long driveway he could see someone sitting on the steps up to the front door. As they got closer he figured out it was Justin. His face split into a grin and he could see the other man smiling back.

Adam had the van turned off and was out before Justin could stand up. They met in the middle for a strong hug. Justin slapped at Adam’s back and Adam just held on tighter.

When they did finally break apart, Adam cleared his throat. “Bro, I missed you.”

“Dude, me too! I didn’t think it would get to me but you’re my best friend here.”

“You too, man.”

Justin stepped back and punched lightly at Adam’s arm. “Don’t ever do that to me again though bro. I thought you died.”

“Do what?”

“You missed the check-in on the second day. I didn’t know where you were.”

“You were tracking us?” Adam was a little stunned. He knew Justin was his best friend but he didn’t think he cared _that much_ about where he and the girls were during the race.

“Hell yeah, I was. Not gonna let you up and disappear into the Canadian wilds for a week and not keep up with you.”

Adam felt his face flush and focused on a particularly odd rock next to Justin’s shoe.

“You mean a lot to me and I didn’t realize how much until I didn’t know what was going on.”

Adam wasn’t sure what Justin was trying to say but it sure felt like his feelings might be reciprocated. When he was able to bring himself to look up at Justin, he was staring at the ground too.

“All that matters is that we’re okay and I’m back here now.”

Justin finally looked back up at Adam, “Bro, I thought you legit _died_ and I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself if that happened. It was like a giant gaping hole in my heart and all I wanted was for you to be back here so I could kiss you and tell you that I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to not check in. We just wanted to get home -- wait -- did you say you wanted to kiss me?”

“Yes, bro, I do and I want to keep kissing you. And I want to sit on the floor and binge watch TV together and take care of your girls together and listen, I literally want to do everything I possibly can with you. Now please get your big ass over here and kiss me.”

Adam closed the space between them with one step. Their arms wrapped around each other, lips crashing together at the same time. Adam thought his heart was going to burst. This was so much better than he ever thought it could have been.

They could have kept on had Roxie not figured out how to get out of her travel crate. She knocked into them with just enough force to separate them and make her presence known with a string of barks. That only encouraged the rest of them to take up the cause from their place in the van and the sound filled the air around them.

“I forgot about the girls for a minute there,” Adam looked over at Justin breathless.

“Which reminds me. Which one got hurt?”

“Ethel. She’s with Lucy now.”

Justin had already made his way over to the van and was opening the gates. “Oh, poor baby. Come see me.”

Ethel raised her head up and licked Justin’s face. He was laying down on the floor of the van and stroked her fur on top of her head then down the sides of her nose.

“Let’s get you to the clinic.”

“The on-site vet said it was just a sprain.”

“As her primary physician, I want to get an x-ray anyway. We can make out later.” Justin sat up looking back towards Adam.

“When you put it that way it sounds like a much better idea.” Adam leaned in and snuck one more chaste kiss and this time he knew how each of them felt and nothing could be better.


	6. One Year Later

The following year Adam opted to do races closer to home. It meant that Justin could travel to at least to see the pack finish. Glinda stayed at home with Justin more often and was with him to see Adam and the girls finish the last race of the season. They’d done pretty well and medaled in most of their races and were poised to do it again for the final race.

After they pulled across the finish line fifteen minutes after the first place team Justin was there to give muffled teary congratulations and kissed Adam like he never thought he’d see him again. It was just as good, if not better than Adam remembered.

When the girls were out of their harness and taken care of, the pair was able to spend some time in the fair that had sprung up around the finish line. The local animal shelter had a booth with adoptable animals so of course, that was where they were drawn to.

Adam had been carrying Glinda when she wriggled herself out of his arms and started sniffing her way over to the booth. She stopped when she bumped into the gate separating the adoptable pups from the race dogs. She sat and barked until Adam picked her back up.

“May I?” he asked gesturing to set her inside the gate. Several other puppies were jumping up at them from the other side.

“It’s okay with me. Is she okay to do that though?” the attendant responded.

“She’s got eight big sisters, she’ll be fine.”

Glinda made her way through the excitable young puppies to the back of the corral where a little black and tan bulldog was laying quietly. She sniffed her and proceeded to curl up with the other dog.

The attendant looked shocked. Adam was surprised too. Glinda didn’t always do well with other dogs, just tended to ignore them but she seemed right at home curled up with this other dog.

“It looks like we’re getting another dog, babe,” Adam grinned to Justin.

“The more the merrier. Can we go sit with her while we fill this out?”

The attendant stood handing Justin a clipboard. “Sure thing. Let’s get you started on the paperwork then. Just so you know she is a special needs dog, are you prepared for that?”

The pair sat on either side of their soon-to-be pup. Justin filled out the paperwork while Adam got a face full of kisses from the new dog. His hand ran over the place where a leg once was before he leaned in to kiss her nose.

“We’ll make sure she’s comfortable. Glinda is blind so I think we’ll be able to make accommodations. He’s a vet too.” Adam pointed at his boyfriend.

“We’ll make sure she’s happy, that’s for sure”

Justin finished up the paperwork and passed it back. It was his turn to cuddle up with the newest member of their little family. She wiggled happily then rolled to her back to give him access to rub her belly.

Adam could feel it in his gut that she’d be a perfect addition and the rest of the girls would love her just as much as he and Justin already did.

“Okay, chill. The adoption fees have been waived today so I just gotta look over the application and you’re all set. What are you going to name her?”

Justin had a look in his eye that had Adam thinking he already had the perfect one in mind. He nodded and Justin smiled back from ear to ear before turning back to the attendant.

“I think we’re going to go with Elphaba.”

“Babe, that’s perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Comments and Kudos make me cry happy tears. I'd love to hear who your favorite dog was.  
> Find me on tumblr as: [tangotangredi](https://tangotangredi.tumblr.com/)


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